The Environmental Quality Authority and the Lithuanian-Austrian coalition launched the twinning project between the State of Palestine and the States of Lithuania and Austria, funded by the European Union and aiming to integrate the environment and climate change into national development policies and strategies, during an event held in the city of Ramallah, in the presence of representatives of institutions. Official, civil and private.

Dr. confirmed. Nisreen Al-Tamimi, Head of the Environment Quality Authority, said during the launch event that the project, which sees the light after more than two years of work with the European Union, is one of the most important projects in the environmental sector, as it supports the Environment Quality Authority and other stakeholders in including the environment and climate change in their policies and strategies. Developmental.

Dr. indicated. Al-Tamimi said that the process of including the environment and climate change was launched at the national level 7 years a
go, and there is still a need to evaluate the process and make it more robust and implementable. Thus, we rely on this project and on the experience of the Lithuanian-Austrian coalition to improve and enrich this process, and we consider it an opportunity for progress. In protecting the environment and supporting the environmental sector.

She highlighted Dr. During her speech, Al-Tamimi spoke about the impact of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, from a humanitarian and environmental perspective, noting, ‘Our plans after the aggression turned to relief and reconstruction, so we are turning to the European Union and other international partners to support our efforts in this regard.’

In turn, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Afia, Head of the European Union Cooperation Department in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and UNRWA, stressed that the European Union reaffirms its firm and ongoing commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and strengthening Palestinian public institutions, so that Lithuania and
Austria, two member states of the European Union, will provide their knowledge and added value. To respond to Palestinian environmental policy priorities.

He added that the twinning project reflects the ambition of the European Green Deal to develop effective solutions for climate action, and the project will enable Palestine to enhance its role in the international environmental agenda and determine its position among other countries in the world to achieve environmental obligations.

In turn, Ms. Rasa Kaireini, Director of the Development Cooperation Department at the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: ‘In recent years, Lithuanian and Palestinian relations have expanded on several levels, from bilateral cooperation to multilateral development cooperation in the spirit of the Team Europe approach.’

She added, ‘Through the Lithuanian experience, we can say with confidence that twinning projects have greatly contributed to the success of our reforms and modernizations, leading to a competitive eco
nomy and the adoption of high environmental and social standards, and that we believe that this project will have great value for the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority.’

She indicated that the project will look at the current inclusion process, identify gaps, and prepare and publish a new methodological guide that will be used by different sectors to include environmental and climate change priorities.

For his part, Christoph Sternat, Austrian Representative to the Palestinian Authority, said, ‘The twinning project embodies the spirit of international cooperation and the European Union’s commitment to promoting sustainable development around the world, as by bringing together the expertise and experiences of Lithuania, Austria, and Palestine, Palestine will be provided with the necessary tools and knowledge to confront pressing challenges.’ to environmental degradation and climate change.

He added that the project aligns well with the main areas of support for long-term Austrian-Palestinian coope
ration, and hopes that collectively we can ensure that environmental considerations are an essential part of all policy-making processes.

It is noteworthy that the twinning project with the European Union will last for two years, and experts from Lithuania, Austria and Palestine will meet to work to achieve the main goal of the project, which is to include the environment and climate change in the Palestinian national planning processes, in addition to activating sectoral strategies.

The expertise provided by the twinning project will support the Environmental Quality Authority in enhancing coordination and assistance to the relevant stakeholders in Palestine

Source: Maan News Agency